He said he was disappointed at MPs "conspiring and plotting with the Conservatives" to wreck government plans.

The Labour rebels were today trying to sabotage the government's plans for student top-up fees of up to £3,000.

Among leaders of the revolt were Greater Manchester MPs Jim Dobbin (Heywood and Middleton) and Brian Iddon (Bolton South East).

The rebels said they did not want to give universities the power to vary fees.

But they were accused by Mr Clarke of "colluding" with the Tories" and "having the wool pulled over their eyes".

He said one backbench Labour MP had told him that Tory MPs were going round the corridors of the Commons with a spring in their step because they thought the Labour rebels had been conned into doing their dirty work for them.

Amendment

"It's always a risk for us when you have Tories ready to vote with sections of our backbench," said Mr Clarke.

Mr Dobbin and Dr Iddon were supporting an amendment to the Higher Education Bill, which would remove the capacity of universities to charge variable top-up fees and leave the current fixed fee of £1,125 a year as it is.

But if the amendment was approved, it would not affect the restoration of student grants or the change to paying fees after graduation.

It would also support the government plans for a new regulator to keep an eye on universities.

A group of 15 university vice-chancellors have warned the government that variable fees would widen the differences in resources for universities and urged it to reconsider.

But Higher Education Minister Alan Johnson said the vice-chancellors were in a small minority.

MANCHESTER and Salford have two of the worst records in the country for sending young people on from secondary school to college.

Statistics published by Liberal Democrats show that only 12.1 per cent of young people from Manchester and 13.6 per cent from Salford go on to higher education.

Manchester's record is beaten only by Thurrock in Essex, where only 11.3 per cent of young people go on to university.